


Closer

by Love (crazylove)



Category: American Idol RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-31
Updated: 2010-03-31
Packaged: 2017-10-08 13:48:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/76266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazylove/pseuds/Love
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim finds Lee hiding in the dressing room before the results show.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closer

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This isn't real, this will never be real. I don't know these people! Season 9 has little to go on so far but I had fun with this.

Tim walked in the boys' dressing room, twirling his Popsicle in his mouth. He stopped in front of the huge mirror on the wall right inside of the door and checked for a ring of red around his mouth but only his lips were red, which wasn't so bad. He'd gotten used to the make-up and stuff, the whole TV thing. It was amazing how quickly that all became second nature. Tim almost couldn't remember a time when he _wasn't_ on the biggest TV show in the entire nation.

And he couldn't remember a time when he didn't think that the next results show was the night it was all going to end.

Tim patted his hair when he noticed Lee in the mirror. He turned around, raising his eyebrows.

"Lee?" he said. Lee was laying on his back on the couch with his arm covering his eyes, legs crossed at the ankles. Tim walked across the large room, coming a little closer.

"Lee?" Tim said again. "You okay."

"Yeah," Lee grunted without uncovering his eyes.

"So, what are you doing here?" Tim asked, swinging a foot in front of him. "You feel okay?"

Lee shrugged. "Hiding out from Mike."

"Why?"

"He wants to cheer me up."

Tim could understand _that_. A few minutes ago in the dining hall Mike had given Tim a hug so tight that Tim nearly regurgitated his fried mac-n-cheese all over the floor. He put a hand on his stomach, remembering.

"You're gonna hide out in our dressing room?" Tim said.

"It's dinner time," Lee said and that was enough explanation. Mike would be in the dining hall for at least the next half hour, not just to eat (and he did eat a ton) but also to socialize with everyone from his fellow contestants to the producers to the small guy that valet parked the expensive cars outside.

"Why does he want to cheer you up?" Tim asked. He felt something cold drip down his hand and then he remember his Popsicle. He bit the top off, wincing through the almost immediate ice cream headache as the cherry flavored ice melted in his mouth.

"The usual," Lee said, voice muffled by his sleeve.

"Oh," Tim said. He scuffed his sneakers against the shiny tile floor. "No way, man, you shouldn't be worried. You were like, the best last night. You really shouldn't be."

"Yeah," Lee said. "I mean, no. I just..." Lee trailed off with a sigh.

"Seriously, you were," Tim insisted. "Everyone said so. I read everything online and in the paper. They all said it."

"Okay, but--" Lee said. "What does that even mean?"

Tim sucked at one side of the remainder of his Popsicle so that the color drained out and it became partly white. He was really going to miss the free food. "It means that I'm going home tonight."

"No," Lee said. "I didn't mean that."

"No, it's okay!" Tim smiled at him until Lee finally uncovered his eyes to look up at him. "Yeah, I'm fine. You should be happy! I'm happy!"

"How are you happy?" Lee said, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm just happy!" Tim smiled a little wider. Sometimes it made his face hurt but it was worth it. "It's a choice I make."

"Nah, Tim," Lee said. "You're not going home. You've got..."

"Teen girls voting for me, yeah yeah yeah." Tim waved a hand and the rest of his Popsicle flew off the stick. He picked it off the floor quickly and tossed it in the trash, then scrubbed his shoe over the sticky spot. "But they all have bed times."

"No, I was going to say you have talent," Lee said, sitting up. "Don't forget that."

"Talent?" Tim said. "You've got _talent_! You're forgetting about yourself."

"You can handle it," Lee said, speaking quieter now. "I just..." Lee seemed to run out of words again but he grabbed his t-shirt right at his chest and Tim thought he understood. "Every week... it gets better but it also... gets worse."

"I just think, there's a plan," Tim said. "That's like, God's work. I can't control that. And then me. I can only control my own attitude. So I'm like, I'm just gonna go out there and have fun and do the best that I can and just... have fun. Smiling's fun to me!"

Lee spread his legs out a little further and sighed, sitting back against the couch. Tim glanced down at Lee's nicely fitted jeans, his slightly shaking hands rested lightly on his thighs. After a moment, Tim perched himself on the edge of the couch on the other side.

"I'm also smiling because I'm scared shitless," Tim said.

Lee laughed, a loud, sudden burst of welcome noise that made Tim smile even harder. Then the door opened and Casey and Andrew came in, each with guitars strapped around their necks.

"We were warming up," Andrew said. Casey added an guitar riff that sounded impressive even without the amp.

"What are you two talking about?" Casey asked, letting the guitar hang from his body like a third arm.

"Tim likes to smile," Lee said, with a hint of a smile on his own face. Tim grinned at him.

"Honestly, Tim, sometimes your smile makes me wanna punch you in the face," Casey said. "Anybody ever tell you that?"

"Yes," Tim said, beaming.

"He smiles when you say that," Andrew said.

"He'll smile through anything!" Casey said. He walked over and Tim couldn't help laughing. He scooted closer to Lee.

"Hey Tim," Casey said. "They ran out of hair product."

"Then we're all screwed," Lee said and they all laughed. Tim grinned at him.

"Just kidding," Casey said. "We're gonna jam with Crystal and Mike, you guys wanna come?"

"No," Lee said, quickly. "No, no."

"I'll catch up!" Tim said.

"Okay," Andrew said. He shared a look with Casey and then they both crooned at the same time, "_Teflon Tim_!"

Tim was still laughing even as they left and Lee was smiling, too. Tim raised his eyebrows, sort of nodding at the look on Lee's face.

"See?" Tim said. "Isn't it fun?"

"I don't hate it," Lee said and then he blushed, mostly in his cheeks but also some at the tips of his ears and Tim found that more endearing than his smile.

"You should do it more often," Tim said. "Looks good on you."

"Looks good on you, too," Lee said, holding his gaze. Tim's smile was still frozen on his face and for a moment he wondered if it was because he was feeling more nervous than anything else, looking straight into Lee's kind eyes. He shook it off, physically shaking his head.

"It'll be fun to jam," Tim said. "You can't avoid Mike's hugs forever!"

Lee groaned, rolling his eyes. "I know, I know."

"We just need to teach him to hug nicely!" Tim said. "Like this." Tim did it before he had time to really think. He just smiled and reached for Lee, pulling him into a tight hug. It felt good when Lee wrapped his arms around him and he could smell Lee's subtle cologne. Tim expected it to be quick but they embraced for a few minutes and Tim felt his smile fading and he didn't know why because he wasn't unhappy or even nervous or anything like that. It just felt _good_. When they pulled apart Lee wasn't smiling either. Tim stared at him for a moment.

"Thanks," Lee said. Tim nodded and then he placed his hand on Lee's face, remembering the way he blushed.

"You really do have a great smile," Tim said, softly.

"Nothing can beat Teflon Tim's," Lee said and they were both smiling again, grinning. Tim jumped up from the couch quickly and struck a pose with an imaginary guitar.

"I'm ready to rock!" he declared.

"Okay, I'm going to face it." Lee stood up, rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck side-to-side. "Gonna face Mike like a man. And the judges. And America. And everything."

"Let's do this, baby!" Tim said, jogging for the door. "It's showtime!"

Tim held the door open for Lee and then followed him out. He still had the same smile on his face but he was definitely thinking about someone else's. He liked making Lee smile and he hoped he would have at least one more week to do that again.

**Author's Note:**

> I named the story "Closer" because I love that song by Corinne Bailey Rae. Listen to it!


End file.
